Adidas Lone Star Classic two-way middles to watch

The New Year has arrived and, for the club volleyball season, it means there are still several months of action until the summer, when the USA Volleyball National Championships will be held.   The 18s age group works on a different timeline, though, as they will play for the national title by the end of April, so it's time to start working towards qualification.   This weekend, teams in Texas will have a great opportunity to book their tickets to Salt Lake City, competing at home in the Adidas Lone Star Classic, one of the biggest national qualifiers held in the state, having the Austin Convention Center as the host, from Friday to Sunday.   Teams from all over the Lone Star State will be in action as the event will reunite 198 club teams split into four divisions. As we prepare for the start of the tournament, let's get to know some of the top Texas players who will be on the court. Here are some of the most dynamic middles of the tournament:    Gillen-Malveaux is a key piece in the Dallas Skyline 18 Royal team that will be among the candidates to dominate the 18 Open division. One of the top middles in the entire country in her age group, she is a difference-maker at the net her ability to get stops and alter shots by opposing hitters. She's one of those middles whose presence automatically makes defenses better because of her extraordinary mobility and impressive ability to read and react to the game. She's also an interesting offensive option for her team, making great use of her high contact point to consistently put the ball down when hitting different sets in the middle.      Elliott and her AVA TX 18 Adidas team will be among the competitors in the 18 USA division this weekend in Austin. Extremely athletic and consistent, she makes her presence felt in the middle and makes a major impact at the net, especially on the defensive side of the game. Elliott uses her length and athleticism incredibly well and her blocking is a true challenge to even the best hitters because of how big and coordinated it is. She's also capable of operating as a secondary scoring option for her team, using her physicality to put the ball down with well-placed swings in the middle.      Brown will be with the SA Juniors 18 Adidas team that will be in action in the event's 18 USA division. An offensive-minded middle, she's big, quick and physical, being extremely difficult to stop at the net. Brown is very explosive in her approach, gets off the floor incredibly well and has an impressively heavy right arm, not giving opposing blockers and defenders much of a chance when in system. Her blocking is also very productive as she moves extremely well at the net and is very aggressive with her arms, taking up a lot of space from opposing hitters.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mUaELQP93M </div></figure>    Wilson and her Texas Fury 18 Legacy team are entered in the 18 Liberty division this weekend. We have her listed here as a middle, but she's extremely versatile and can play anywhere at the net, so don't be surprised if she appears on the left or the right. That's possible because of her impressive all-around game, which features a lot of firepower on offense, an impressive presence at the net with her blocking and solid ball control skills. Wherever she's placed, Wilson will bring the power and the intensity, which makes of her a very productive and active player at the net.      Thomas is one of the middles of the [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 18 National team that will compete in the 18 American division. She joined Tornados this season, coming from [program_tooltip program_id='538544' first='Katy' last='United'], and gave them a solid boost at the net with her strong two-way game. She brings a lot of interesting aspects in her offense as although Thomas is very physical and athletic, she's also very intelligent and creative with her shot selection, not always turning to power swings to put the ball down. Her blocking progressed a lot over the last few years and makes of her a solid defensive player as well.

The New Year has arrived and, for the club volleyball season, it means there are still several months of action until the summer, when the USA Volleyball National Championships will be held.